Julianne Moore Danced the Night Away at the Premiere of Gloria Bell

As someone who has been patiently waiting for Julianne Moore to reach the “middle-aged woman learns to love again” phase of her career à la Diane Keaton in Something’s Gotta Give, a film like Gloria Bell is long overdue. Moore stars as the titular Gloria, a fiftysomething divorcee who spends her nights looking for fun at dance clubs across Los Angeles. Free-spirited and hopelessly endearing, she falls for a suitor played by John Turturro and finds herself thrust into the world of modern dating with all of the euphoria and heartache that it entails. But never one to be down on herself for too long, Gloria lives her life by one simple mantra: “When the world blows up, I hope I go down dancing!”

Moore brought that sense of optimism to the Monday night premiere of Gloria Bell, out this Friday in limited release. Strutting into the Museum of Modern Art in a stunning feathered Givenchy frock, Moore radiated joy as she worked her way down the carpet, singing the praises of Turturro, the director, Sebastián Lelio, and her beloved character, Gloria.

“She’s so positive and so engaged in her life and doesn’t take anything for granted,” Moore told Vogue of her character. “She loves her children, her mother, her friends, her coworkers, and she never lets anybody down. She goes dancing because she wants to dance, not because she’s looking to meet somebody!”

And dance she does; Gloria shimmies to pop hits of the ’80s throughout the film. The final scene, easily five of the most joyful minutes ever put to film, shows our heroine slowly approach the dance floor as her theme song (“Gloria” by Laura Branigan) plays and she nearly bursts in a fit of ecstasy dancing to the music.

After the screening, guests headed to 48 Lounge for their very own Gloria Bell moment. Walking into the bar with disco music thumping and Cosmopolitans flowing, it was easy to feel exactly like Moore in the early moments of the film: sipping a drink, shuffling around nervously, and scoping out the crowd. But as the party wore on and the dance floor picked up, even those floating around the outskirts of the room eventually gave in to the effervescent mood of the evening to join in on the festivities. Moore even blurred the lines between herself and her character as she swayed to the music and engaged cheerily with every single person who approached her.

“Gloria really is irresistible, isn’t she? She’s such a role model,” Moore said. “I always think to myself, What would Gloria do?” Of course, the answer is obvious: She’d finish off her cocktail, tousle her hair, and go off to dance the night away.